National Novel Writing Month

I hope your writing is going well. Been a busy week, so I thought I’d just share the opening paragraph from my work-in-progress (WIP).

Father is shaking me, whispering hot stale breath in my face. Run! I grab the satchel that he’s
handing me and don’t ask twice. I am only two steps behind him. I can smell the smoke before we reach
the town walls. I can see the light from the flames casting my long shadow into the night. We are not far
away enough when the screaming begins.

You can read a little more about this NaNoWriMo project in a previous post.

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The first episode of Writers2Writers premiered this week on Princeton Community Television and apparently, that’s a channel I don’t get! But, have no fear! Thanks to the miracle of YouTube, we can watch it over and over and… okay, maybe once is enough. This series is essentially about authors helping authors. The entire episode is 27 minutes long and the segments are interspersed with fun little interviews and anecdotes. This episode covers anthologies, NaNoWriMo, and a very basic intro to Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (by yours truly). My segment starts at the 20:17 mark of the full episode below. Or, you can skip further below to see it as a standalone. Enjoy! It’s really been fun being a part of this little TV adventure. I hope someone somewhere finds it beneficial to their own writing path. I’ll be sharing new episodes every Saturday morning as the season progresses.

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How goes it WriMos? For those of you taking on the National Novel Writing Month challenge, how’s your word count? I’ve been plugging along and I try not to look at how far I am from reaching the goal of 50k. It’s ok. I’m really just pleased at having put words on the page for 9 consecutive days. Ok, some of those days were literally 20 words, but it’s not always about volume. It’s about consistency.

And I feel like I’m moving at a pace that’s sustainable. It’s not that I can’t handle 1667 words a day. We did a word sprint the other day and I tallied 326 words in 10 minutes (it was a dialogue heavy scene… have you read my writing?… I like dialogue). Anyway, instead of being worried about what day of the month it is, I’m just basking in the fact that I’ve managed to churn out ~12,000 words in a week and a half. That’s awesome no matter what month it is!

But, I’m really just hoping to carry this over into the rest of my work. I have several other books that need writing (hello book 3 of my trilogy?) and this kind of sustained focus. I might just declare January Scott’s Power of Six Writing Month (ScoPoSiWriMo?). I know it won’t be as easy as starting with a blank slate, but it needs to happen and the momentum is building.

Anyway, if you’re taking part, I hope NaNo is going well for you. I hope it’s stimulating your writing as much as it is mine. 😀

Are you on track, ahead of schedule, or just a shade (or two) behind? Let us know in the comments and thanks for stopping by!

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Just a quick NaNoWriMo update. I had so much going on Saturday that I couldn’t even think about sitting down and writing, so I made up for it yesterday and pretty much got back on track with 3200 words. It felt really good to just churn out text without spending too much time getting hung up on content. It’s tough, though, because I’m working in first person, so my normal flow sometimes gets derailed by simple POV issues. I’m trying to avoid too much dialogue and allow myself to really get into the head of the main character. Anyway, looking forward to getting home and cranking out another 1667 or so. 😉

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Were you one of those crazy people who started writing at midnight last night? Good for you! The rest of us got a good night’s sleep and will try and crank out that first 1666 during normal business hours. 😉

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When I was a boy… Ok, I’m kidding. But, when I started writing this post, it occurred to me that it was that kind of story. Anyway, back when I first heard about NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month for the uninitiated) in 2006, it was still in its fledgling state (launched in 1999, it was still fairly small back then). I heard about it and jumped on board with a ton of enthusiasm, as most do at first. Then I realized just how hard the task is. 1666 words a day for 30 days during the month of November. Yeah. It’s no small task. I won once… and that was working at breakneck speed to crank out 20,000 words in the last week alone.

Nowadays, NaNo has grown in notoriety. This year, according to the website, more than 400,000 writers will participate. And, with the enthusiasm comes the naysayers.

“You shouldn’t be trying to write a novel that quickly.”

“What good can it be in that short a time?”

“It’s a gimmick and real writers would never participate.”

I disagree for the most part with all of the naysayers. Anything that gets people to write is a good thing in my book (pun intended). Is this a pace you should keep up? Sure! If you can! I’d love to be able to crank out 1666 a day! Especially at the first-draft stage, which is what NaNo is really all about. You’re goal isn’t to write a polished/finished novel in a month. You’re cranking out 50,000 words of a first draft. You’re putting words to paper with the expectation that what you’re creating will need significant revisions… in December… and January… and February. First drafts are supposed to be crap! But, how great will it be to have a completed (or near completed) first draft at the end of the month!?

So, if you’re taking part, good luck. Have fun. Bond with your fellow WriMos. Learn as much as you can about your writing and the writing process. Crank out the best crappy first draft you possibly can. Keep your expectations low. Put words on the page and don’t worry about revising. There’ll be plenty of time for that.

Not taking part? Do your writer friends who are participating a favor. Don’t mock their intentions. Cheer them on! Let their milestones fuel your own writing endeavors. Be happy that they are writing! Will their NaNoWriMo book become a novel? Who knows? In today’s age of self-publishing, I’d never dare to say no. With the right editing, anyone can publish their work. Don’t rain on anyone’s parade.

As a last point, rushing to write a novel may be fun, but it shouldn’t make you think that you can rush the important parts. Revision, editing, proofing, beta reading, more revision, etc. Use NaNo to get the foundation, but don’t slap up paper walls and call it a house. 😉

Have you done NaNoWriMo in the past? What’s you best advice for finishing? Let us know in the comments section and thanks for stopping by.